i'm tamron hall. the "news nation" is following the republican spin to governor romney's caught on tape moment. >> this is in response to a president, the first president in my lifetime who decided to run a campaign on class warfare. >> the american system of limited government and free enterprise has done more to help the poor, has done more to uplift people out of lives of dependency and out of lives of self-sufficiency. >> what mitt romney said was he didn't state the most elegant way. it's a different philosophy he's trying to express. >> from a numerical standpoint, mitt romney was right in talking about the 47%. i think the makeup of that 47% was grossly misrepresented. >> what disturbs me and disconnects me from that candidate is the fact i believe conservative policies, but for

100% of americans. >> mitt romney could have better explained himself. i think he was clumsy in doing it. >> everybody has their youtube moment in politics. it may be a fresh opportunity for mitt romney to try and connect with voters. >> from the television screen to print, conservative writers jumping in to defend romney. donna goldberg write for the national journal. lots of people and most importantly independents understand the basic and irrefutable point that there are too many people that feel entitled to consume a lot more tax dollars than they contribute. mitt romney told wealthy donors that shelled out $50,000 a plate to hear him, that president obama supporters, 47% of them, failed to take responsibility for them. >> the 47% are with them, they believe they're victims and believe that government has a responsibility to care for them. who believe they're entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it.

that's an entitlement, and government should give it to them. they will vote for this president no matter what. >> new remarks from governor romney expected in a few hours. he's not addressed the comments since that hastily planned news conference late last night where he double downed. >> well, you know, it's not elegantly stated. let me put it that way. i'm speaking off the cuff in response to a question, and i'm sure i could state it more clearly in a more effective way. it's a message i'm going to carry and continue to carry. look, the president's approach is attractive to people who are not paying taxes because frankly my discussion about lowering taxes isn't as attractive it to them. therefore, i'm not likely to draw them into my campaign as effectively as though in the middle. >> that the best the governor has to offer? we'll look at that, and look at the 47%, the fact check of that number. we'll have more on that. first, the "news nation" is

following breaking news out of pennsylvania. the state supreme court just released a ruling on the voter i.d. law in the state. katherine is the director of the advancement project there. thank you for your time. >> thank you for having me. >> as i understand it, elderly voters in your state, many people worried they would be impacted by this as well as democrats see the decision as a victory. why? >> it's not ovr yet, but the pennsylvania supreme court just remanlded the case back to the trial court to look at athe facts in this case and whether pennsylvania could actually get i.d. into the hands of voters who need them. it's not over yet. we hope that the lower court on october 2nd will look at it as the supreme court ordered them to do. the supreme court said this impacts some of the most vulnerable segments of our society, the elderly and disabled. it also affects african-americans and latinos and for no good reason. there's a lot of confusion right now in pennsylvania.

it is our hope that on october 2nd the lower court, when it makes its decision upon remand, w will uphold democracy and make it fair to all and strike down the voter i.d. law, because there's no good reason. >> at the heart of the breaking news, we need the lower court to look at whether, in fact, voters can be impacted. it was an important point. tefs yesterday during our primetime coverage. a reporter talked about the process some people are going through in pennsylvania. we take elderly people and others up to four hours to get the i.d. that would be needed for them to go. they're forced to take off from work and may not have the transportation and in many cases are elderly people now who have to stand in this process, take a number. i think chris matthews equated it to the butcher's shop and wait through this process they never had to endure before. >> absolutely. this is, again, for no good

reason. there are zero instances of voter fraud and there are about a million people in pennsylvania in that situation who don't have the time and money and won't be able to get an i.d. before november. we hope that the lower court reverses their decision, takes a closer look at the facts and makes sure that this voter i.d. law is not in place for this november so our democracy is upheld. it's our most fundamental and precious value in america, and we hope the court agrees with that. >> nthank you for joining us about one of the controversial i.d. laws challenged in the country. governor romney in the latest from him. the campaign reporter has been following the governor. you were there last night when the breaking news went down. you got the final question. i believe it was only three that governor romney took in response to this red-hot video out. he did not seem really prepared to respond to your questions. that's one note. but also in the same breath he

seemed to not back down. where does his campaign stand on this clearly, garrett? >> good afternoon. basically the campaign has made a decision to go ahead and own these comments. they're trying to link them to the comments governor romney regularly makes publicly in which he says the president is trying to expand this idea of an entitlement society or welfare state. although he admitted last night he said it inelegantly. my question last night, i asked governor romney whether these comments coming out on tape yesterday as well as comments that have been previously reported from a fund-raiser, another fund-raiser in florida several months ago in which he laid out the policy details, why was there some discrepancy in his tone and policies behind closed doors versus in public. we have to push back a little bit on that. his answer on this he's taking

process questions about the state of the campaign. they're spending their hard-earned dollars to fund his campaign asking him how he might win. those aren't what you usually talk about on the stump. folks funding the campaign get a more complete answer. he didn't address the question about policy and why he might be talking in more detail behind closed doors than out informant open. >> he absolutely did, garrett. it's interesting today a number of of his surrogates have been on msnbc and other networks, and they don't have a consistent message. you had governor sanunu on and he blamed the current administration for class warfare and congressman allen west saying the same thing that governor romney articulated. these weren't necessarily elegant comments. nevertheless there's not a consistent response from the

governor or hez surrogates he unleashed today to deal with the firestorm. >> the conversation with the senior adviser on the romney campaign plane which just landed in salt lake city for another fund-raiser today, one of the senior advisers basically said they're looking for this to blow over in the next couple of days. they think they -- the most dynamic of any of the videos, the most explosive potential comments have come out. they were able to sort of continue a little bit last night by doing the press conference, and in the last two days they try to get back on their primary message about jobs and the economy and hope the media gets tired of the story. >> garrett, thank you. i don't know if people will get tired because the entire video has not been released yet. this is what our first read team is calling ail brutal last three weeks for the governor. joining me now is michael sirkonish and ann cornbloom and

chris cofinus. garrett haake says the romney campaign is hoping this will somehow blow over. what are the chances? >> well, they can dare to hope. i think this is going to be one that will take a little longer than day or two to blow over. that has been their strategy at times in the past and hasn't always worked, but i don't think we've seen an incident that's reverberated as much as this one has. we see them proceeding. he's going to make public remarks later today going on tv. he hasn'ter altered his campaig schedule. this is not what they wanted to talk about this week. they wanted to release new ads and talk about the new details on some of the policies. that's out the window at least for now. >> he's supposed to talk with fox news a little later, perhaps seen as a more friendly territory if we can gang thiuges

that way these days. one of the reasons it won't go away for the governor is the fact of the story. he referred to 47% not paying income tax. as pointed on msnbc politico has an arg. the number is actually 46%, but here's the insight of that number. half of nonpayers little, too little to pay taxes. half of them get through tax deductions and exemptions according to the tax policy center. 44% use tax deductions to help the elderly. 30% use tax deductions that aid the working poor. they use an example of a family earning $26,000. after $11,000 of standard deduction and four $3,000 exemption, they have no taxable income. many pay federal payroll, excise tax and state and income taxes. these people are not as they were referred to by governor are not getting away and getting a

free ride through life. many of these are so-called poor in our country. >> i think that's the critical distinction. i'll use the word. he didn't, but this is the meaning of his statement. they are not the malingers he made them out to be. the way i expressed it on the radio today is more than 80% of that percent are elderly or working poor who pay payroll taxes. an additional fact is a number of reason why is by virtue of bush tax cuts one of the tradeoffs was to reduce the taxable earnings -- the taxes paid by those low income earners. you can blame the sponsors of the bush tax cuts if you're upset over the fact that some of these folks aren't paying taxes. one other fact, tamron. the question remains will the 47% figure out he's talking

about me? what's stunning is i hear from a number of callers who are in that group and don't regard themselves as much. >> why is that, michael? when you talk about welfare by race, because a the lot of people, when you go on the blogs, believe he's talking about blacks and he's talking about hispanics. we know the statement made at the naacp and then after it at a fund-raiser, the governor said if you want something free, vote for the other guy. 34% are white, 22% black, 17% hispanic and 20% unknown. i'm not sure what that means. if you look at this through a prism of shoi he is trying to separate and peel apart people based on anger. let's say he's appealing to the angry white male voter who white somehow be the difference in november. these people fall into the category of working poor, of people who needed assistance as a result of the economy taking

the nosedive before the current administration even took over. >> yes. there's a bit of the -- of what's the matter with kansas factor if you know what i'm saying to all of this. i'm hearing from a social security retirees who thinks he's not in that category. that's not who i am. this has invagted both bases. in other words, as offensive as these comments might seem to many of us, it's invigorated a conservative base that's anxious to say something like this. what do the 5% to 10% as mitt romney described as thoughtful, what do they say? there's blow back against it. all of the conservative writers say he ought to own it, and they are backing the governor even though he's not backing his own

words. there are many today compares this moments to when the president was caught on taup during the last election cycle saying people cling to their religion and guns. how is this givent if at all. >> i don't think it's comparable for a couple of reasons. when the president made the remarks it didn't go into a narrative. you see this in your election and in it particular key questions in polls. which candidate stands up for the middle class? when you see this in a private moment from a fund-raiser from governor romney and how cold and callous it comes across, regardless he can argue what the facts are or not, the reality is he perverted the facts. when you look at the approach to it, it turns off those

independent, undecided moderate voters that decide this election. this fits into a narrative that for months has been building. building because in the obama campaign it's very effective at framing governor romney on it. more importantly because governor romney through his words and actions and his policies feeds into it, and this is just the latest exclamation mark. >> ann, you have "new york times" david brooks wrote this column, thurston howell romney. he wrote the people that receive a disproportionate share of money, they are white men with high school degrees. basically pointing out to what michael said. a lot of people that may not believe they're in this category that mitt romney referred to during this off-camera moment. joe scarborough said something this morning. we know where he stands and he's a conservative. he talked about the waiters in

the video. those are the very people perhaps that fall into this description of governor romney if he was elected president, he would be president of all people. it sounds as if he's playing to a certain group, and that night that group paid $50,000 a plate to have that amen moment with the republican nominee. >> it's interesting because david brooks said this is what millionaires tell each other. i wasn't aware of that until i read the column. it's hard to say if governor romney was pandering to the group and he was repeating or saying something he believes. con flating the popularity of president obama, about half the country that doesn't pay the federal income tax. i suspect we won't get a complete dissection of his remarks from governor romney.

he sounds like he said what he's going to say, which is that he wants to talk about people -- >> i don't know about that. he has an interview coming up, michael. last night you could see the unease and obvious reasons why. this tape comes outs and he needs to get out. at this point, michael, what would you advise the governor foo to say in this sper view he's got up. he's already said what he was going to say? what would you advise at this point. president obama had the opportunity regarding guns and religion. how does romney go beyond what he said on that tape? >> i don't think he can. i think he dug himself in last night when he had that hastily arranged availability and stort of double downed on it. tamron, for the second time in a week he's embraced the worst narrative about the president. with regard to cairo and libya, he bought into the international lore that obama was a sympathizer and pop gist.

then last night i saul him embracing this notion that everybody that supports the president is ap malinger. that's the commonalty. >> thank you. hope to see you all soon. coming up, a new warning from the militant group behind the latest suicide attack. it just happened today. foreign workers in afghanistan now the target. it is going beyond the united states. plus, a brand-new nbc news wa"wall street journal" poll is leased tote. we have our hands on one of the questions sent out to voters. this is the question. who is better prepared to lead the couldn't for the next four years? obviously, the you know the two choices. we'll tell you the results and give you a chance to of it as well. my twitter page is @tamronhall and you can find my te team @newsnation. americans are always ready to work hard for a better future.

since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. oh, hey alex. just picking up some, brochures, posters copies of my acceptance speech. great! it's always good to have a backup plan, in case i get hit by a meteor. wow, your hair looks great. didn't realize they did photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad

we're both running a nice, clean race. no need to get nasty. here's your "honk if you had an affair with taylor" yard sign. looks good. [ male announcer ] fedex office. now save 50% on banners.

they warn more attacks on the way. the group says it was a woman who drove a car packed with explosives into a mini bus carrying foreign workers in revenge for the internet film that insults islam. 12 people have been killed, and the new attack comes as the u.s. suspends most u.s.-afghan military activities because of the insider attacks. what's the response to the u.s. being forced to make this critical decision here? >> reporter: it's been really interesting, because nato has tried to backtrack a bit because

the pentagon released information to suspend most u.s.-afghan operations within the country. when we spoke to nato officials in kabul, they wanted to emphasize it was a temporary suspension, but it's really to protect the lives of international forces within the country because of these insider attacks. that's when afghan forces turn on coalition partners. together with this anti-islamic film that caused outrage. they fear more soldiers will be under attack by the afghan partners. no matter what way you look at this, this is undermining to the nato motto and mission fighting alongside the afghan partners as they try on to hand over the country into afghan hands by the end of 2014. tamron. >> live for us in kabul. let's bring in t.j. crowley who served as a spokesperson from 2009 until last year. before we get the your latest

insight on what's happening in afghanistan, i want to play the new excerpt from governor romney's secretly fund-raiser in may where he spoke about the israeli/palestinian conflict. let me play this excerpt now. >> these are problems we can solve all right. and i look at the palestinians not wants to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of i see these thorn issues. and i say, there's just no way. we live that with in china and taiwan. all right, we have a poeshlty volatile situation, but we sort of live with it, and we kick the ball down the field and we hope that something will happen as a result. we don't go to war to try and

resolve it imminently. on the other hand i got a call from a former secretary of state, but this individual said to me, you know, i think there's a prospect for a settlement between the israelis after the palestinian elections. i said really? he said, yes, i think there's some prospect. i didn't delve into it. >> there you have the governor referring it to a private conversation he said he had with a former secretary of state saying there could be palestinian elections. he dent delve into that. he said palestinians not wanting to see peace in my way, and he would hope for some degree of stability. what kind of foreign policy is based on just hope there? this is the governor being candid in that room. >> i think he was right to suggest that a path for the peace process is going to be difficult. i think he was wrong to say that the current status quo is sustainable. it's not. this is a festering wound within

the middle east. it affects u.s. relations in the middle east and perceptions that have brought us the protests we've seen tragically the last few days. ultimately it's something that has to be resolved. this is largely up to the israeli prime minister and the palestinian president, and there is a fundamental lack of truth between the two. so it is going -- one would hope there will another opportunity going guard, but right now the conditions for a successful negotiate don't exist. >> p.j., let me transition to afghanistan. you heard her report talking about the fact that nato preps feels undermined, this shoulder-to-shoulder program. obviously it's not working. we've seen too many lives taken as a result of afghan soldiers and police turns on their counterparts there. why is this happening, especially this timing? >> let us be careful, tamron. there's no question that

particularly the afghan military's performance has improved significantly in recent years. the police is still a work in progress, although the nato command saluted the police over the last 24 hours for successfully breaking up demonstrations because of the film. nonetheless these green on blue attacks are undermining this partnership between the international community of the united states and afghanistan. they've been successfully taking measures to deal with these. ultimately, it's poor vetting of the individuals who have been brought into these institutions, and that is under review by the afghan government. it's going to take time to work through here to try to mitigate this threat. >> you tell me to be careful here, but according to nbc news, a senior military official says, quote, we're to the point now where we can't trust these people. >> i think this is taking a pause, because ultimately if

this goes on it can fundamentally undernine the future relationship between the united states and afghanistan. so i think wiit's wise to take strategic pause and try to strengthen the institution and understand the dynamic behind the attacks and see what steps can be taken to protect u.s. and isaf soldiers. >> the question is how do you do that? there is a vetting process. they weren't pulling people in and giving them guns and uniforms. there was a process in place. how do you amend it all right. how do you amend the process? >> well, i mean, part of this has been tension that existed for a long time between building up, you know, the level of afghan forces to a very ambitious size, 350,000 forces versus taking the time to patiently, you know, work with these people, train them effectively and give them time

to develop professional skills. so on the one hand, you have a rise in capability, but on the other hand one of the factors always in developing an effective military and police force is time. it's not something that can be done over night. >> is time on the side of this country. meaning the united states and men and women who are there. we know the president's plan. whether you say time t-these reports are coming out too grektly by a public sickened by the war and don't know the definition whaf success would be. >> obviously on one hand there's a race to the end of 2014 when the mission as it's currently constituted will finalize. for the same token, the united states has said the ultimate job of helping build afghan government institutions will not be done by the end of 2014. that's why it's important to condition to build this parngship between the united states and afghanistan.

this is a broad challenge that will take years if not a decade or more. >> thank you very much. great pleasure having you on. thank you. >> thank you. coming up looking ahead at the day. in a sum of hours, set that clock. that couple will hold an exclusive fund-raiser for president obama. we'll look at a lighter side of politics and pop culture, when those worlds collide. plus, the toronto blue jays are about to hold a news conference regarding a player who hit the field. this player, and you can't see it. we'll put it in a little later. he has a home phobic slur painted on his face. that's a heck of a way to get motivated for a game. it's our "news nation" gut check. here's today's money minute. here's a look at wall street. so uh this is my friend frank and his, uh, retirement plan.

one golden crown. come on frank how long have we known each other? go to e-trade. they got killer tools man. they'll help you nail a retirement plan that's fierce. two golden crowns. you realize the odds of winning are the same as being mauled by a polar bear and a regular bear in the same day? frank! oh wow, you didn't win? i wanna show you something... it's my shocked face. [ gasps ] ♪ [ male announcer ] get a retirement plan that works at e-trade. and you learned something along the way. this is the age of knowing what you're made of. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours.

stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. see if america's most prescribed ed treatment is right for you. throughout our entire lives. ♪ one a day men's 50+ is a complete multi-vitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. ♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day men's 50+ healthy advantage.

i was skeptical at first. but after awhile even my girlfriend noticed a difference. [ male announcer ] rogaine is proven to help stop hair loss. and for 85% of guys, it regrew hair. save up to 42% now at rogaine.com.

we're following developing news. in a little over an hour chicago teachers are set to finally vote on a tentative contract agreement. will that seven-day strike finally end? we have results of a brand-new nbc news poll. the question is, do you think the country is better off now than when president obama took office? we're going to reveal the new number out, and be sure to check out our "news nation" tumbler page. you can find the behind of scene photos. buying this juicer online was unbelievable. what a bargain! [ female announcer ] sometimes a good deal turns out to be not such a good deal. but bounty gives you value you can see. in this lab demo, one sheet of bounty leaves this surface cleaner than two sheets of the leading ordinary brand. so you can clean this mess with half as many sheets.

bounty has trap and lock technology to soak up big spills and lock them in. why use more when you can use less? bounty. the clean picker upper. droid does. and does it launch apps by voice while learning your voice ? launch cab4me. droid does. keep left at the fork. does it do turn-by-turn navigation ? droid does. with verizon, america's largest 4g lte network, and motorola, droid does. get $100 off select motorola 4g lte smartphones like the droid razr.

on every one of our carda reminder...ate. that before this date, we have to exceed expectations. we have to find new ways to help make life easier, more convenient and more rewarding. it's the reason why we don't have costumers. we have members. american express. welcome in. 38% say the country is better off now than when president bk took off.

41% say the country is worse off. meanwhile, 47% say president obama is better prepared to let the country for the next four years while 30% say governor romney is better prepared and 11% say neither. mark i heard analysis that those are numbers the president and his team will certainly take. >> right, it is evidence of the bounce that the obama campaign got from the convention. you can attribute a lot to bill clinton, because a big portion of the speech that wednesday night was you are better off. you might not feel it right now, but you definitely will feel it if you re-elect president obama. but still these aren't great numb numbers for frez obama. 41% thinks thing are worse off. bottom line, they're better for president obama on this number,

and you do see the bounce. >> governor romney has done this interview with fox news. he's expected to answer more questions on this 47% comment. garrett haake was on earlier, and behind the scenes the governor's team seems to believe they can wait this out. if their hope comes true, it will blow over and die down. that's remarkable you have so many right now perhaps online or even on fact checkers pages, looking at the numbers, who the governor was referring to in that remark. who are these people as you refer to that don't pay taxes and looking for food and housing and health care? >> ieven if it's the romney campaign's best scenario, this blows away in a week or two, this is another loss for the campaign. we have seven weeks to go, the romney campaign puts this behind it, will go on to six weeks and time is of the essence and time is running out. as to your point on the 47%,

tamron, you know, there are a lot of people who don't pay taxes who are seniors. there are people who -- seniors i will point out to you is an incredibly important demographic voting block for mitt romney. it's the one age voting demographic block that consistently leans towards the republicans and mitt romney. so lumping people who don't pay taxes into all this kind of moocher people who are all victims, that is ignoring a substantial part of the republican base. >> it's also interesting govern sanunu was on earlier and brought up class ware fair. there was allegations it was class warfare. when you listen to governor romney's remarks and he says he can't get this other part of america and not seeking sthir vote and looking at a small group of people going for emotion, two things come out. obviously, you would be the president of the united states, and the glaring point, mark, is

people are still asking about the governor's taxes and he's talking about other individuals. >> the points you race why this is such a problematic sfoer for mitt romney. it opens up a can of worms on several different issues. when you have governor john sanunu blaming them on class warfare. that's a kenard, and if anyone was engaging in class warfare, it was in those comments. >> that's why he's doing this interview, and we'll see what he says in his latest explanation of his own words. developing out of chicago, the teachers union will be voting in just over an hour from now on whether they will continue to strike or if they're going to reach an agreement. nbc news education correspondent rehema ellis joins me from chicago. we talked about the tick-tock

winding down. >> these folks are pleegt in a short time in chicago. while he's not a voting member, he's spoken with many of those who will be taking a vote or asked to take a vote today. he says there's a lot of sentiment to end this strike and go back into the classrooms, but he also said there's probably also a lot of discussion. people were unhappy. there's some infighting going on about whether or not this union was able to get all of what it wanted. what the discussion will be is that's happens in negotiations. no side usually wins all of everything that it wants. but what will happen this afternoon? it really is anybody's guess, because while one faction anyway say they're ready to go back, another faction may say they want to hold out and see if they can get more. >> we'll see. we won't have to guess. we'll know shortly. we'll be right back with "news nation." with the spark cash card from capital one,

olaf's pizza palace gets the most rewards of any small business credit card! pizza!!!!! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! helium delivery. put it on my spark card! [ pop! ] [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve the most rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? or double miles on every purchase, every day! [ female announcer ] some people like to pretend a flood could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ] it doesn't. stop pretending. only flood insurance covers floods.

♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease

or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. prego?! but i've bought ragu for years. [ thinking ] wonder what other questionable choices i've made? i choose date number 2! whooo! [ sigh of relief ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego.

it's not a late night tv ad. you can learn while sleeping. they played a tone and followed it with a plercht or unpleasant scent. people reacted either inhaling or cutting their breath. both learned reactions based on the scent. now to the lighter side of politics, if there is one these days. in this election there's no shortage of both candidates using swagger and pop culture to get more votes. today the president is fund-raising with the king of swagger, jay-z along with his queen beyonce. he'll make an appearance at "the late show with david letterman." making his second trip to the

program since being elected. governor romney having fun on the talk show circuit. in an interview the governor and his wife did with kelly and michael on their new show. it aired this morning. >> this is the most serious question of all. honey boo boo or snooki? >> do you know who either are? >> i'm kind of a snooki fan. >> she had a baby now. >> look how tiny she got. these lost weight and energetic. just her spark plug personality is kind of fun. >> joins me now, "washington post" columnist amy. wow, i never thought i'd hear look how tiny she's gotten. does he have "people" magazine on his plane? nonetheless with the crisis in the middle east, we're talking about this notion of 47% of voters perhaps in some ways don't matter to individuals. do these lighter moments even have a place, or do they have an

impact, as they did when bill clinton was on mtv or playing the sax? are those days gone? >> it's funny. as much as we're consumed with discussion of the 47% video or with what's going on in the middle east, there is a huge section of the voting populous that is maybe not that tuned into it. they care about this country. they're going to vote. they're not following the day-to-day of the campaigns and not watching the cable news shows and watching "meet the press." they get their information from different shows like this, and that's why you've seen the candidates go on different pop culture shows like this. >> are they getting information, or is it something else? is it that they're seeking out some kind of comfort in these individuals? we know the whole notion of wanting to have a beer. not everyone drinking beer, but everyone wants to like their neighbor. is it that kind of information, kind of a sixth sense we have

with people, either you like them or you don't? >> these shows are all about projecting the likability of the candidate, which for a lot of people is how they make their decisions. you know, they might not be seeking out different news programming, but they will stumble across david letterman oracle kelly ripa or things li that. that might be the biggest exposure to the candidate. that might make the difference. >> you talk about millions of people, especially with women an important voting bloc in this election and every election quite honestly. the shows like "kelly and michael" offer a warmer setting. i have to point out, jay leno, people shouldn't sleep on jay leno at all when it comes to interviewing. he does not sit out there with candidates and not talk policy. when mitt romney was on, he was very serious at times with his questions. i know that he watches and is very engaged politics. it's not a softball, soft seat kind of environment.

>> that's the thing with leno and letterman. it's supposed to be a loose, funny environments. you see candidates of all types sometimes they're put in a difficult position. they're asked questions maybe they're not asked. slightly more confrontational tone than you might expect. these moments have created interesting moments for the campaigns. >> proof that pop culture does matter and will matter when one appears on honey boo boo, child. i don't know how it will matter. thank you very much, amy. >> thank you. up next, this is a big topic. have you heard about this story? look at this player. he's a professional baseball player, and he's under fire to say the least for playing ball. on his face he has homophobic slurs painted below his eyes. there's a question on whether or not he should be suspended. it's our "news nation" gut check. e hutchison household. but one dark stormy evening... she needed a good meal and a good family.

so we gave her purina cat chow complete. it's the best because it has something for all of our cats! and after a couple of weeks she was part of the family. we're so lucky that lucy picked us. [ female announcer ] purina cat chow complete. and for a delicious way to help maintain a healthy weight, try new purina cat chow healthy weight. something this delicious could only come from nature. now from the maker of splenda sweeteners, discover nectresse. the only 100% natural, no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. the rich, sweet taste of sugar. nothing artificial. ♪ it's all that sweet ever needs to be. new nectresse. sweetness naturally. new nectresse. i i had pain in my abdomen...g. it just wouldn't go away. i was spotting, but i had already gone through menopause.

these symptoms may be nothing... but they could be early warning signs of a gynecologic cancer, such as cervical, ovarian, or uterine cancer. feeling bloated for no reason. that's what i remember. seeing my doctor probably saved my life. warning signs are not the same for everyone. if you think something's wrong... see your doctor. ask about gynecologic cancer. and get the inside knowledge.

time for the "news nation"

gut check. the blue jays are holding a news conference in new york at which time they could punish a player for what some call an open display of home phobia. escobar during a game on saturday. under his eyes there's a message, and it's written many spanish. it's called a homophobic slur. rob is with nbc sports. he's here with me now. the blue jays say they're investigating the matter. there is a picture of the guy who, by the way, we just looked up. he made $5 million this past year. what is there to investigate, if that is, in fact, a slur written in spanish under his eyes? >> the first thing to investigate is exactly what the translation is. most people who speak spanish say this is a pretty common slur that is -- that translates to a slur we have in english, and it's clear this was meant as a homophobic slur. the blue jays came out over the weekend with an apology saying

we don't agree with this sentiment or condone this sort of thing. escobar may have explanation saying i didn't mean what you think it means in spanish, or maybe another explanation as to how the words ended up in the eye black on his face. that's something players use a lot to sort of cut down on glare during day games, but you don't normally have things like that written on it. >> i don't understand that explanation. i'll be honest with you. they say this word is a common slur, but he may not have meant it? it sounds like it when rappers say i can use the n word but you can't. i don't understand that. if it's a slur, whether it's commonly used or not, it's a slur. >> a gree wii agree. he may come out and apologize and say it was wrong. it will be interesting to see if he tries the wiggle out approach and he does the, you know what? it was wrong. i apologize. i'm going to take my punishment approach. >> how was this spotted.

it's hard to see from looking at the photograph. did some teammate sound the alarm? >> it was a fan with sgregreat s that saw this and said it's not right and took a photo and blew that photo up and put it online. he was a blue jays fan and he felt conflicted about whether to do it. >> he'll see if he has an explanation for what's on his face. thank you so much. very interesting story. what does your gut tell you? should the player be suspended and fined in this case? go to facebook.com/newsnation to cast your vote. tomorrow it's our real treat. actor denzel washington will join -- someone said yeah. he's on for a legitimate cause. he's a great activist for children. big brother, he's got aa lot going on other than yeah. denzel washington joining the "news nation," yeah. "the cycle" is next. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page

and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts, more events, more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with the citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ] [ male announcer ] get more access with the citi card. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself.

and you learned something along the way. this is the age of knowing what you're made of. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain;

it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. see if america's most prescribed ed treatment is right for you. to compete on the global stage. what we need are people prepared for the careers of our new economy. by 2025 we could have 20 million jobs without enough college graduates to fill them. that's why at devry university, we're teaming up with companies like cisco to help make sure everyone's ready with the know how we need for a new tomorrow. [ male announcer ] make sure america's ready. make sure you're ready. at devry.edu/knowhow. ♪